Friday, October 10, 2008

With a Banjo on My Knee

While I was packing the 1,000 Knitters gear last night, in preparation for today's flight to Yarn Expressions in Huntsville, I was trying to remember the last time I set foot in Alabama. I think it must have been in the 1970s, as my family drove across country from our old post in Arizona to a new assignment in central Ohio.

I know we stayed for several days with good friends in Atkins, Arkansas. I remember Arkansas well as the first place I encountered a live chicken (eek) and the first place I swam in a mud-bottomed lake (eek) instead of a concrete swimming pool. I also remember crossing into Kentucky and being profoundly disappointed that the grass did not turn blue.

I have also sailed twice down the Danube River and can tell you that it's not blue, either. Neither is Hawaii, come to think of it, except for the wet bits. Makes me wonder what other Big Geographic Color Promises are setting me up for a fall. The Yellow River? The Emerald Isle? The White Cliffs of Dover?

Where the hell was I going with this?

Oh, yeah. Alabama.

I find that I don't remember Alabama, and I think we must have driven through it while I was sleeping in the back seat. Or we may have skipped it entirely and that this will, in fact, be my first visit.

In any case, I can't wait. When you're from up North (in my case, just barely–I was born about 15 minutes north of West Virginia), the South may puzzle or bemuse, but it never disappoints.

There's been a fun development in the schedule, by the way. All the spots for the 1,000 Knitters shoot tomorrow (Saturday) have been filled, but Interweave has engaged in heroic measures to get a small shipment of It Itches to Huntsville for a book signing on Saturday afternoon. The timing is inexact and will depend upon to some extent on how long the shoot takes, but around 3 p.m. is a good bet. My recommendation is that to call ahead on the day for a more exact forecast. Do drop in if you can.

And now I have to go because it's nearly time for head for the airport and I still don't know which knitting to take. I realize that actual knitting has been absent from the blog this week, and I hate that. I intend lots of it for next week, as well as the first reports from Dolores on her Campaign Tour. You won't believe where she's been. (Always true, but now even more so.)

Golden Gate Bridge - in San Francisco. I was 8 years old and we drove up from LA to visit the San Francisco Bay Area in California. Low and behold, the Golden Gate Bridge is not GOLD. Huh? As an 8 year old I expected a bridge colored a GOLDEN color. I was bitterly disappointed to see it was a rusty orange color. The paint they use on the bridge is the best color to keep out the rust. Why didn't anybody prepare me for this shock???

The Emerald Isle is definitely very green. What they don't tell you is that the only way it can stay so green is because it rains all the time!

It's still a very charming place to visit though. Very friendly people, love the accents! Now that I'm into knitting, I'm thinking I should go back there and investigate some knitting shops and Celtic cable patterns ;-)

The map of Alabama seems to be overlapping a paragraph of text. Can you find a moment to fix it? We don't want to miss a word! GretchenPS: Yes, Emerald and White are as advertised. I grew up with the GG bridge and was always glad that it's that dramatic shade of burnt orange. Much better than gold.

You'll have to tell us more about Alabama afterwards. Because as a born and bred Yank, I haven't got the best vision of Alabama. Red necks, back woods, small minded. Of course I know I'm probably totally wrong, but Alabama isn't the first place I'd think of visiting if I were a gay man and I'd worry about my gay bro or gay BIL if either went there. Being from MA and now in ME, I've got such a bad case of "northernitis" that I feel like PA (where I lived for a while and felt like I was nearly in the deep south) is "philadelphi and pittsburg and alabama in between".

Don't worry, you didn't really miss anything if you don't remember Alabama. My dad was stationed at Fort Rucker, down by Dothan on your map, a couple of times while I was young. So, it's where I spent several years of my childhood, but I don't miss it at all.

I share your disappointment in the Danube. When I first got to Budapest, all a-jitter with excitement at being in a more "civilized" place than the place I had been living at the time, the first thing I did was rush to the river, humming the Blue Danube Waltz. I then decided the fact that I wasn't wearing a corset and 27 pounds of dress must be the reason the Danube didn't even have a hint of blue. Ahhh, progress.

I can second (or third) those who stated the White Cliffs of Dover are white. They most certainly are, a very pleasant ever so slightly creamy white. Its the chalk you see. Never been to Ireland, but if it rains the same amount as it does here on the Scottish West Coast, it will be very emerald. And probably rather soggy.

On your next visit you'll have to join us for Skanky Knitting! Enjoyed the photo experience and LOVE your yarn I won in the door prize drawing. Glad you were able to sit and knit with us afterward. Now I'm waiting for the calendar...and then maybe Delores's memoir -- You can't fleece me out of my fleece: How one sheep lead the Fibertarian revlot?

I was in Alabama *once* when I was a child. We drove to Florida from Chicago every year for 7 years in a row. One year, we decided that instead of driving through Georgia the whole way, we'd go part of the way through Alabama. We got a flat tire and so had to stop to get it repaired. My strongest memories of Alabama revolve around that stop to get our flat tire fixed. The tire shop also sold major appliances such as washers and dryers. There was an older lady sitting in the waiting area with us. As we chit chatted and killed time, she seemed to get more and more annoyed. Finally, she said something to us: "Where do ya'll come from," she spat at us. "Um...well...Chicago," I recall my parents responding. "Well," she drawled, "Why don't ya'll go back where you came from?" And then she gave us the nastiest look. I've never been back to Alabama.

(I'm delurking...lol) Thank you for coming to Alabama, Franklin! We had such a good time today and it was wonderful to meet you. Any way we can convince you to come to Stitches South? With a big stack of those calendars? ;-) Thanks again and safe travels.

Franklin, thank you SO much for coming to Alabama for the last of the photos for your 1,000 Knitters Project!!

I was # 30 and so very tickled to chat with you!! You have the gift of putting people at ease while snapping away with your camera! The day absolutely FLEW by and I only wish you had more time to hang out in Alabama!

Woah, there, fellow damyankees! For better vibes you need only to remind yourself that beloved Fannie Flagg dedicated Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe "To the sweet People of Alabama." And that Maycomb, Alabama is the home of Atticus Finch. Any state which produces Harper Lee is okay with me.

What I was unprepared for in Ireland was that all the sheep had been painted different colors. This is how they identify who belongs to whom, but they look like poor hapless victims of uncreative graffiti artists.

I would like to thank you writing the personal note into a copy of your book that Katey brought back for me from the meet-up with you "Abalama".

I don't know how much she told you about me but she gave me the book on my husband's gathering last Sunday. He passed away in June 2008. You lovely and funny comment was one of the higlights on that day. Thanks again, and I am pissed too that I wasn't in Abalama to meet you. ;-0

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